Mygdållaðr
General information Mygdållaðr is a language spoken in the northern lands, where there is much plague, famine, and war. The name Mygdållaðr means "mouth release" or "mind release", because Myg can take on both meanings. Many terms for specific materials are borrowed from Theubeg because the northern tribes do not have the technology necessary for said materials. The winters are harsh and barren, while the summers are hot and filled with packs of ravenous animals picking the already scarce food supply dry. Phonology Consonants Vowels Transcription *The vowel /ə/ only occurs at the end of neutral case nouns and must not be confused with the alveolar tap /ɾ/. *The consonant /β/ is rare and often mistaken with the consonant /v/, the distinction is only maintained in written manuscripts with the subsequent homophones replaced in day to day speech. Phonotactics The main syllables are V, CV, and CVS. V is any vowel, C is any consonant, and S is any stop/plosive. CV(l), CV(s), or CV(n) can only occur if the next consonant is the same, and the CV(n), CV(ng), CV(ð), and CV® syllables can only occur at the end of a word not counting affixes. No more than two adjacent V syllables can occur. There are three states of stress realized by pitch accent: stressed, unstressed, and rising stress. Stops can be aspirated or unaspirated depending on the speaker. Adjacent identical stops geminate, and the first of a pair of different stops cannot aspirate. The default stress pattern is the first syllable stressed and then the second unstressed, and so on. If the syllable is before a geminated consonant, it is always stressed. If there are two of such syllables adjacent to each other, the second syllable is rising stress. This pattern repeats if there are more geminate syllables. Voice, definiteness, and number prefixes are not taken into account on the stress pattern and are unstressed by default. Single V syllables without adjacent vowels also fall into this category. Conjunctions have variable stress and are the opposite of the syllable before them. Grammar Nouns Nouns use prefixes to denote voice and definiteness, and suffixes to denote case, number, and gender. The voice prefix is only attached to the subject and precedes the definiteness prefix. The definiteness prefix is y''', and the prefix for marking passive voice is '''van. The default voice is always active. Cases that modify other words precede the modified word. The following table is a paradigm of the animate noun ataŋr, which means bear. The following table is a paradigm of the inanimate noun koǧaðr, which means rock. If the case can be implied, proper nouns usually revert to the neutral singulative case or the neutral collective case in a sentence. Derivations Nouns must always end with a final consonant to accommodate the suffix system. There are several derivational suffixes to change the word class or alter the meaning. The following table is a paradigm of the noun jagtirr, meaning book. Verbs Verbs use ablaut usually located in the last syllable to denote tense, and have a limited number of moods indicated by prefix. The pronomial object of the verb can be expressed using a series of suffixes. Aspect is expressed by attaching either helping verbs or adjectives to elaborate on the tense. Verbs can be made transitive or intransitive by forming compound verbs. The words attached after the verb to form a compound verb serve the purpose of adpositions. Tense There are two distinct patterns of ablaut split into back vowel endings and front vowel endings. The following table is a paradigm of front and back vowel verbs and their different tense forms. The near future and recent past tenses can be altered to nonrecent and far future tenses with the time specific negative prefix jon. Aspect The following are some common helping verbs and adjectives used to denote aspect. Other constructions can also express these aspects, but most have become archaic. Mood The following moods can be expressed by prefixes, although their usage has become dated and relegated to literary works. Speakers usually omit these prefixes in favor of the ending interjection. *The subjunctive indicates a possiblility of the verb to happen. *The conditional mood forms a subclause without the need for a conjunction. Pronoun Object If the object of the sentence is a pronoun, it can be expressed by attaching the appropriate suffix. Compound Verbs There are several common morphemes that serve the purpose of creating an equivalent of a postpositional phrase, with the rest of the construction occurring before the verb. The ablaut pattern still applies to the original verb. Compound verbs may be further compounded to The following table is a paradigm of the verb hallo, which means to walk. *The conjunction ki is used to link together two or more postpositional phrases. Derivations Other word classes and meanings can be derived from verbs through various affixes. The following table is a paradigm of the verb tæd, meaning to burn (intransitive). Copula The first copula is the verb y''' and serves the purpose of linking subject and predicate as an essential characteristic. The second copula is the verb 'oli '''and serves the purpose of linking subject and predicate as a temporary state. The second copula's first syllable can be inflected for aspect instead of being modified by aspect adjectives as follows: Postpositions There are several postpositions borrowed from Theubeg that are attached to the noun and placed before the modified word. Adjectives The adjectives are attached before the modified word. The standard adjective order is as follows: #Head Noun #Noun Adjunct #Proper Adjective #Qualifier #Intensifier #Quantifier (placed in front of head noun if there is a demonstrative) #Demonstrative Example: døn ho vær dyronšek wigmå kahekr gudin this very small Dyronian mine bird some ''some of these very small Dyronian birds of mine. Intensifiers Derivations Other word classes and meanings can be derived from adjectives through various affixes. The following table is a paradigm of the adjective '''ginå, meaning honest. *The n''' is only added if the adjective does not have a final consonant. Numbers Mygdållaðr uses a base ten numeral system. Numbers can act as adjectives or nouns. The numbers can be used to count order by adding the suffix '''i. *Cognate with a Theubeg number. Pro-form Pronouns Pronouns are inflected and declined for person and gender from the pronoun mydr. *If a verb referent is used as a noun, it refers to the previous compound verb's modifying word. Pro-verbs The three pro-verbs are: *to do - simot *to be - tolo *to use - togyr Pro-adjectives The only pro-adjective is soke, which is borrowed from Theubeg and means like so, or in this way. Correlatives This table contains the different interrogatives, demonstratives, and quantifiers. The correlatives can serve as irregular nouns. The ones derived from Theubeg are considered more formal. *Cognate with a Theubeg correlative. Other common quantifiers are listed as follows: *Cognate with a Theubeg quantifier. Interjections The interjection ee is the main interjection placed at the end of a sentence that conveys mood and some modality. The interjection can be omitted and the particular stress moved to the last syllable of the last word of the sentence if the meaning can be easily inferred. Other ending interjections are listed in the following table as well, although they cannot be omitted. Some obsolete stress patterns are preserved in the interjections. Conjunctions Conjunctions link clauses or words/phrases together, with the conjunction coming before the word/phrase it forms a phrase with. Conjunction phrases are mostly placed after the modified. Syntax Mygdållaðr has a word order of VSO. Relative clauses are formed by relativizer conjunctions. Other conjunctions form different subclauses if necessary. Example text The Vit Acrostic/Song vit topr munnengubød yhåb what person.col to-ring-benefit.npst def.bell For what man does the bell ring? RESPONSE: ili dannegmi farólonror prog.cop.npst death.inan.sgv.erg act-of-harvesting.col.acc Death is harvesting. vattig suknun bymérþå who to-run-away.npst int.2p.an.pro.pl.erg Who do you all run away from? RESPONSE valur hallohunir anån what to-walk-fear.npst light What does light walk avoiding? RESPONSE lavon hapšigwodir ymad with-which-of-pair to-play-chess-company.npst def.3s.an With which of the pair does he play chess? RESPONSE vaŋ mahållegrbo senben ysån which-of-many house.inan.pl to-pass-tunnel.npst def.shadow Which of many houses does the shadow pass through? RESPONSE (The next lines of the poem are usually not included in the song) vollip tag ydannegmi Where does the death dwell? hellab tag dannegmi Death dwells everywhere. voron tolo hinnermi Whence does a corpse exist? hofiŋ tolo dannegmi Every source death exists. vesuŋ suk vollóŋmi Whither do dreams run? tugon suk dannegmi Every goal death runs. valurvyŋ vo yvyŋmi When does the time end? fonnodvyŋ y dannegmi Every time is death. vob kapte vasiŋmi How does a serf work? hobot kapte dannegmi Every way death works. vored suguni mérmi Why do you struggle? fonnodbed suguni danneg Every reason death toils. =See also= */Naming and Kinship/ */Time and Measurement/ */Writing System/ */Figurative Language/ Category:Languages